I am talking about the Russian Roulette scene, possibly one of the few individual movie scenes vying for "best ever" status. For me, Michael Cimino has reached film greatness in making this gripping, haunting and unbearably, emotionally charged episode. His direction is flawless, down to the minute facial expressions and body movements of even the least important of the secondary characters. The atmosphere of total despair, when the value of human life is brought down to no value at all, is suffocating. Perhaps only stories of survivors from the Nazi Death Camps carry a similar aura. And in the relatively short duration of this inferno-on-film, Cimino takes us through the unfolding stories of his three heroes: Stevie/Savage cracking down under the immense and inhuman pressure, Nick/Walken beginning the process of being gripped by the black dog of madness, and then there is Michael/DeNiro. The viewer - no matter if male, female, straight or not - cannot help but fall in love with this on-screen person, this tower of strength and humanity. If you are ever to be in real dire straights, if you are ever to walk in the valley of the shadows - you pray to your creator to send a Michael/DeNiro to stand by you. I have rated this movie a 9 because it is not a perfect movie, however the Roulette scene reaches beyond perfection, and into the realm of true greatness. Cimino in directing and DeNiro in acting have here reached the very top of the mountain.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Copenhagen
(2002 TV Movie)
A Great Modern-Day Rashomon
11 April 2004
A genius scriptwriter takes an ambiguous, un-recorded, wartime conversation, and turns it into a riveting modern-day "Rashomon". Through the exploration of several possible stories, he takes us on an emotional journey into the frontiers of scientific thought, morality and humanity. Bohr and Heisenberg were two of a handful of the greatest intellects ever to walk the face of this planet. The film brings the viewer into an intimate encounter with those two formidable characters, at one of the most evil periods of mankind's history, and lets the viewer in on their most profound personal dilemmas, dilemmas which had the capacity to have a dramatic effect on the lives [and deaths] of millions. Only three actors take part, and they do it very well, especially Rea who plays Bohr. Highly recommended.
Tea with Mussolini
(1999)
An ode to humanity
6 March 2004
This is a melodrama and you should not expect anything else. But what a melodrama! In the hands of a great director, using an eccentric story involving some eccentric people, it conveys straight to the heart how the great darkness descended upon Europe in the 1930's. It tells you that the greatest evil is the work of humans, and that the potential for evil lurks in the human soul. But, and here is the movie greatest strength, it shows you that humans possess the capacity to be human and to act human, when they heed Shakespeare's advice: "Love thyself last". All the negative comments that can be made about this or that deficiency caused me to downgrade this movie's rating from a "10" to a mere "9". Go see it. If you have kids - make sure to take them along for a great and satisfying lesson about life as it should be lived.
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